Envelope



1945- R. K. STONE ET AL 2,389,747

ENVELOPE Filed April 5, 1943 Rah? h K. Scone Frank QBrouqharr Patented Nov. 27, I945 ENVELOPE Ralph K. Stone, Elmhurst, m, and Frank 0.

Brougham, Springfield, Masa.

asslgnors to United States Envelope Company, Springfield, Masa, a corporation of Maine 7 Application April 5, 1943, Serial No. 481,796

2 Claims. (Cl. 206-632) The present invention relates to envelopes used as containers for granular or pulverulent materials, and adapted, upon being opened, to serve for the spreading or dusting of such materials instances of such uses requiring a regulated discharge of theenvelopes contents being, for example, the sowing or spreading of seeds, the

shaking out of condiments, and the uniform application, by dusting, of medicinal powders, such as sulfanilamide, to wounds, infections, etc.

limvelopes of this character usually provide a plurality of normally-closedapertures arranged to be readily opened up and exposed for the regulated discharge, when desired, of the contained material; in such an envelope, it is essential that adequate protection be afiorded against contamination of the contained material, as well as against any appreciable leakage or premature discharge of the same, prior to the users intentional exposure or opening-up of said apertures; it is also of importance that this act or manipulation by the user, to open up the discharge apertures, be accomplished always with ease and certainty, without leaving any obstruction in the zone of discharge and without requiring such discharge zone to be-touched and possibly contaminated by the users fingers. It has been difiicult heretofore to meet these requirements in a unitary envelope structure of simple enough con- 'struction to be cheaply and rapidly produced by conventional envelope-making machinery.

Our invention overcomes, these and other difliculties by the provision of inexpensive and easilythe two flaps, the respective perforations 9 and made envelope structures which satisfy all of the above-mentioned requirements. Other and further objects and advantages of our invention will more fully appear from the following detailed description thereof, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view, of the blank from which an envelope embodying our invention is made. I

Fig. 2 shows the initial folding of said blank to form the envelopes back wall, together with means adhesively associated therewith to form the bottom closure.

Fig. 3 is a rear view of the completed envelope, after the same has been filled and sealed.

Fig. 4 is a large scale fragmentary sectional view on the line 8-5 of Fig. 3, with thickness of one part exaggerated.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are views similar to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, showing a modified form of our invention.

Fig. 8 is a large scale fragmentary sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Like reference characters the different figures.

The envelope blank of Fig. 1 includes a rectangular body portion (the area within the broken lines) that provides the envelopes frontwall I, and as projections from said body portion, a pair of opposite side flaps 2 and 3 and a pair of opposite end flaps 4 and 5. The side flaps 2 and 3 are adapted, when folded over on the lines 2', 3', respectively, to overlap each other, for the formation of the envelopes rear wall 6, as shown in Fig. 2-one of said side flaps being gummed along its free edge, as shown at I, to form with the other side flap the usual fear wall seam 8. This forms the blank into the flattenedtubular body shown by Fig. 2, with the unseamed wall having flap exrefer to like parts in tensions i and 5 beyond the seamed wall 6. Both side flaps '2 and 3', near their lower ,edges, are formed with sets of alined perforations 9 and It respectively, the spacing and arrangement of such perforations being such that upon folding over of it in their overlapping portions will register with each other, thus to provide the rear wall 6 near its lower end with a single row I I of perforations.

The next step in the manufacture of our im- .proved envelope from the blank of Fig, 1 is the formation of its bottom closure, by means ofa tum-up of the flattened tube material, including the bottom flap 5, this turn-up being folded over and adhesively stuck down so as to cover and to substantially block oif said perforations I I, but to make this adhesive connection readily releasable, by the envelopes user, for the complete and unobstructed exposure of said perforations for the delivery, by sifting or shaking thereth'rough, of the envelopes contents. For this purpose, the edge of the bottom flap 5 is left free and ungummed, to constitute a pull tab I2 by which the flap may be seized and pulled away, to break its adhesion with the envelopes rear wall 6. If such adhesion were of ordinary character, involving a transverse band of glue or 'gumming directly connecting the opposed surfaces of rear wall 6 ing or shreddins clean and clear to expose interposed multi-ply or loose-fibered strip or insert I3, of the character set forth in Irrgang Patent No. 1,972,995, dated September 11, 1934; such a strip I: of blotting paper, or the like, having its opposite surfaces lued to the rear wall 6 and the folded-over flap 5, will, in response to a pull on the tab II, readily give way and split apart in a substantially central plane throughout its entire length, because its resistance to such splitting is substantially lower than the resistance to tearpossessed by the envelope mate- Thus the flap i, by a I2, can always be lifted the perforations II. According to our invention, this multi-ply or loose-fibered strip or insert it is so positioned on the flap I as to overlap along one edge the extreme lower edge of rear wall 6, thereby uniting the two walls I and O, and substantially closing the bottom of their included pocket 20, Fig. 4; at the same time, said strip I3 is spaced appreciably from the line I4 defining the bottom turn-up or fold-up of tube material including the flap 5-this spacing being necessary in order for said strip, after the turn-up on line I4 has been made, to clear the perforations I I--substantially as indicated by the broken lines I5 in Figs. 2 and 3. Thus the adhesively interposed strip I3, besides functioning as above described to obtain a clean split, without tearing of the envelope material, when the tab I2 is pulled, functions also by its aforesaid slight overlap (Figs. 2 and 4) of the lower edges of side rial to which it is glued. pull on its free tab portion flaps 2, 3, to establish the perforations II as the.

sole exit from the envelope pocket, when the user, by a pull'on tab I2, has lifted the flap 5. That is to say, the fact that strip I8 splits substantially centrally of its thickness, leaving approximately one-half of its thickness adhering to the flap 5,

maintains the union of the lower edge of rear wall 8 to the front wall I, and thus prevents any escape of the contained material except through the perforations I I. I

It will be understood that the upper end flap 4 is the conventional final closure or seal for the envelope pocket, said flap after completion of the envelope as above described being left open and unfolded until the desired amount of pulverulent or granular material has been introduced into the pocket through its open upper end; thereupon the flap l is folded over and permanently adhered to the rear wall Ii by its gummed edge 4'--the line 4" of such fold, defined if desired by transverse scoring of the envelope walls, being preferably positioned to include the upper edges of said walls, thereby to make the closed package, Fig. 3, leakproof at its upper corners.

In the form of our invention shown by Figs. 5-8

inclusive, the side flaps 2a and 3a, instead of being perforated, are formed along their lower edges with notches I6 and II respectively, the spacing and arrangement of such notches being such that upon folding over of the two flaps to form the rear wall to, the respective notches I6 and I! in the overlapping portions of said flaps will register with each other, thus to provide said rear wall 6a along its lower edge with a single row I8 of notches.

The bottom closure of this envelope, by folding over and sticking down the end flap in against the rear wall 6a, is made readily and cleanly releasable in the same manner as above described for the envelope of Figs. 1-4 inclusive, namely, by the employment of a multi-ply or loose-ilbered strip "a interposed between wall 6a and the bottom turn-up, and glued to each of said parts.

loose-flbered strip a is applied and adhered as before, to unite the front and rear walls Ia and 6a, and to close the bottom of their included pocket 20a. The overlap of said strip with the notched lower edge of rear wall 60 is very slight, being to a depth appreciably less than the depth of the notches I8, the eflect of this being to transform said notches into a row of perforations extending across the extreme bottom of the envelopepocket, beyond the line of bottom fold Ila. When the bottom closure, by a pull on tab Ila, is released, the notches are still preserved as perforations, because the strip "a splits substantially centrally of its thickness, leaving approximately one-half of its thickness adhering to both walls and in overlapping relation to the edge portions between the notches It; thus it is impossible for any of the envelopes contained material to escape from pocket 20a except through the gaps or openings formed at the bottom of the pocket by the partial overlapping of the notches It by the strip Ila.

We. claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, an envelope adapted for shaking or sifting discharge of contained pulverulent or granular materials, said envelope being made from a blank having a rectangular body portion, opposite integral side flaps, an integral bottom flap, and an integral top or closure flap, the side flaps being folded toward each other and adhesively connected at their overlapping edges to form in conjunction with said body portion a flattened tubular body, the latter being folded transversely near its lower end, to provide a bottom turn-up which includes said bottom flap, the side flap material having a transverse row of cuts, adjacent said transverse fold, for the discharge of contained material when said bottom turn-up is released, said bottom turn-up also in cluding a transverse insert of multi-ply or looseflbred material overlapping the side flaps lower edges and adhered thereto and to the adjacent inner surface of said tubular body, the other side of said insert being adhered above said transverse fold to the external surface of said tubular body, to hold said turn-up in stuck-down position, with said bottom flap left substantially free and unadhered to provide a pull tab for the release of said turn-up by the splitting-apart of said insert substantially centrally of its thickness, thereby maintaining said inserts substantial closure of the lower extremity of said tubular body and exposing said cuts as the only means of discharge therefrom.

2. As a new article of manufacture, an envelope adapted for shaking or sifting discharge of com tained pulverulent or granular materials, said envelope being made from a blank having a rectangular body portion, opposite integral side flaps, an integral bottom flap, and an integral top or closure flap, the side flaps being folded toward each other and adhesively connected at their overlap-' bottom flap left substantially free and unad- 10 hered to provide a pull tab for the release of said turn-up by the splitting-apart of said insert substantially centrally of its thickness, thereby maintaining' said inserts substantial closure of the 5 lower extremity of said tubular body and exposing the uncovered portions of said notches as the only means of discharge therefrom.

RALPH K. STONE. FRANK O. BROUGHAM. 

